The Clouds, The Castle and the Battle for Time
by splintered glass
Summary: "The Rising" a new arc is beginning to earn this story its M rating. Take a look. Please R&R. There is love, love that opens hearts to new experiences. Category also changed now to Romance  i.e. sex!  and Hurt/Comfort.
1. The Clouds Pt I

_**Thank you, Russell, John, Eve, Gareth, and BBC for bringing my imagination back to life. Torchwood Rocks and is a great ride. Please bring us more. In the meantime, you may keep your Captain and his crew if you promise to give us more stories and until then, we can play with them as we will.**_

_**To my new friends: Here I go, taking the leap. Hope you enjoy!**_

Captain Jack Harkness leaned against the rail along the quay, breathing deeply of the ocean air that came in strongly across Cardiff Bay. He needed these few moments to just breathe. Those humans inside the Hub were getting on his nerves again. He knew it would pass. He loved each one of them more than any of them could know, for their faults as well as their strengths. And for their very human determination that rose and fell like the tides, through fear and bravado, losing some battles and fighting to win the wars.

He was shocked out of his reverie when he looked up at the cotton-ball clouds and saw something dark that wasn't a bird. It came closer at an alarming speed. His Webley was in his hand at the ready without his even planning it. The speck became a person, then a woman then he realized an unconscious woman, maybe even dead, was plummeting towards either him or the bay, whichever way the wind took her.

All he could do was throw his coat off and tuck his Webley under it. He regretted leaving his shoes on as he jumped for the frigid water just as she plunged into it. They both went deep and for a while he lost sight of her. He finally grabbed her by her coat and pulled her close enough to wrap his arms around her. They were more than 30 ft down by now, and his breath was completely gone. He could feel his arms and legs going weak as he desperately tried to kick for the surface, but with her weight, he couldn't move. They rose slowly, both expelling the air from their lungs just before reaching the surface.

A crowd had gathered and the bay patrol was already there pulling them out. "He's dead, " one of them pronounced, "but she has a pulse. Barry – do your CPR thing." Barry, who didn't look like he could blow up a balloon much less bring a drowned woman back to life, set to it and soon she coughed up a lungful of water and gasped for breath on her own. She opened her eyes, took one look at the man who'd given his life to save her, and that was about all she had strength for. She fell to the deck and the EMTs got to work getting her onto a gurney and under some blankets.

They were busy with her so they didn't quite notice the desperate gasp as her savior sat bolt upright behind them, reviving and realizing he needed to disappear at once. He slid silently over the side and grasped the ladder on the back of the boat. He had to wrap his legs around it to avoid the propellers as they motored to the landing used for hospital emergencies. Once they were gone with the woman, he dragged himself to the quay – on the side of the bay opposite Torchwood, his coat, his Webley and his people, whom he desperately needed. He dragged himself under some shrubbery so he could curl up in a fetal position for a while and try and regain his strength. And come up with a plan.

_**Some time before this, the story really began...**_

Her name was Fern, a name shared with two other generations. She sat on the glider on the front porch of her grandmother's house. Well it had been her house when she was alive, but she had just passed away a week ago. "Young" Fern, a successful businesswoman of 42, could afford to take the time to spend as long as she needed to settle things. As executrix she worked on packing up clothes, dishes, photos and books, and labeled the furniture and made inventories on her laptop of what to send to each of her family, according to their requests.

This was the way it was supposed to be, anyway. In fact, the family was at war with each other within 24 hours of Lily Fern Matthews' death. Her granddaughter sat on the glider hoping to calm her nerves after her most recent shouting match with her uncle. Her own sister had already stopped speaking with her and her mother (Fern Lorene), who was nearing a nervous breakdown as she tried to find a new place to live. Even though she was the only one who had cared for her mother for the last months of her life, the uncle insisted on getting the house sold out from under her immediately. The proceeds were to be split between the children and grandchildren of the woman who had been the rock, the matriarch, the soft hug and kiss goodnight to generations. The home that held matching memories shared by dozens, and peeling plaster walls and worn rugs that hosted feet as they grew into their lives, while providing countless holiday meals with every inch of space taken up by all the mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and cousins that, until a week ago, adored each other, each in their own way - the hub of her family was for sale. This home could no longer make those memories into the glue that had held them all together through all the dramas of their lives.

In one week, the love of decades seemed to vaporize as if it had never been. She didn't know it now, but she would spend the rest of her life wondering why, but she never would be able to figure out how this had happened. But **How** was a pauper here now. **Get It Done** was in charge. **Get It Over With** was his consort.

She'd give anything to just get out of here for a while, just as much as she'd give anything to stay here forever, breathing in the mixed scents of boxwood hedges and Paul Scarlett roses. She couldn't fight off the constant feeling of being dragged into her memories. Each one was a joy that ended in racking sobs. This was getting old fast. She had to do something.

Standing up and wiping her cheeks dry, and then trying to dry them again, she moved down the small front steps of the tiny house that had seemed so big so many years ago. Her rented Jeep Liberty sat waiting for her and she tilted her head to look a little closer. In the passenger side rear view mirror she could see what looked like cotton balls. They didn't move, and there was nothing to orient her vision with them. She felt a strangely familiar vertigo as the image that didn't make sense captured her attention completely. She stared at it until it became the only thing she could see, ringed with a sparkling haze and indistinct shadows of her surroundings. Then the world went black.

She didn't return to consciousness all at once. A long time was spent in a dreamlike state, visions of someone else's past drift in and out, and words like 'listen' and 'follow' drifting with them. She saw stars and realized they were coming closer and she was seeing one of the myriad moons of a distant planet and she was landing, then that scene changed and she was in an undefinable space. It was interior, full of machinery and, well, portholes, so it seemed, since she could see what was outside: darkness and more stars. Here there were sounds, mechanical, whirring, rhythmic, and soothing as if they made up a song that was telling her something… then darkness overcame her before the next vision. Now she was in a dark, musty place with the sound of water and a sudden, frightening shriek high overhead. She couldn't move or even look in that direction – she wasn't seeing all this, she was just experiencing it. Until at last something real seemed to approach her. A man. A very tall man with a commanding presence stood stock still with his hands in his pockets, looking down at her. Down at her? Yes, as she had begun to guess she was in a hospital, or something smaller, maybe just a medical bay in some other place (hospitals wouldn't smell like bird doo and old pizza, would they?)

"Hello".

Hello? She thought he spoke and that might be what he said, but it echoed and was muffled to her ears. The timbre of his voice also encased her in an inexplicable aura of excitement, adventure, and derring-do. How that could happen from one word, she had no idea. She decided to try it herself, see if she could get a word out of her mouth, which so far felt like it had little sweaters on her teeth.

"Mmroow?"

Nice try. How embarrassing. The more her vision focused, the more she wanted to close her eyes. This man was beautiful. By the standards of Michelangelo, DaVinci and her best friend Marcia, he was a god. He had piercing eyes that went pale when he moved and the light struck them. His full lips were curved in a welcoming grin, and –flash-! A smile and she was blinded. She shut her eyes finally, going into sensory overload. But deep inside she was having a great time. What a way to get away from….

At last she remembered where she'd been when she blacked out. She sat up with a jerk, then fell in a limp heap and the room spun mercilessly.

"Whoa there, spacegirl, you aren't quite ready to fly again yet." His voice was musical even when he spoke – oh, stop it, she admonished herself. Get a grip!

_**That's about all I can do tonight…just a teaser, but wordy, eh? Think beach novel, and you've got a description of my writing. And procrastination. Only one thing will cure that, and you know what it is…. So if you want to keep the pulse going, let me know, otherwise, "Young Fern" will have to spend her time with lovely Jack, and without you!**_

NB: Um, that means I really need reviews – I know I'm wordy and I want to know if that's causing problems, helping cure your insomnia, or whatever. Not begging, but I know you're out there…could you help me out and give me some feedback?


	2. The Clouds Pt II

_**Continuing our story, in which I know I don't own anything related to Torchwood except my heart and imagination...**_

Her own signature grin showed she was not completely out of it, and Jack found himself relaxing muscles he didn't know he'd been tensing. He supposed when a girl – no this was definitely a full-fledged woman – drops out of the sky, you feel a little responsible. And more than a little curious. And glad she is somehow alive…how was that, exactly?

"M' name's Jack, Captain Jack Harkness. Under the circumstances, I think I might ask for yours?"

Her grin didn't leave completely, and she chanced a look at him. True, she owed him quite a bit. She was going to have to trust him until she figured out what on earth was going on here.

Since she took a while answering, Jack started in with his own story. "Y'know, I almost didn't make it back here after I got off that boat. I didn't need those amateurs asking me questions – you'll know why someday, I'm sure – but I had no way to contact help. Fortunately, I have an incredibly good staff, and my right-hand man got the police and hospital reports and figured out where to look for me." His American accent made her feel a little more at ease. Maybe she was somewhere familiar at last.

"By the time I found you, Sir," lilting Welsh vowels sounded from somewhere just out of her eyesight…" you were hypothermic, scantily clothed and curiously confused." So much for familiar.

"Oi, Ianto – let it rest for now – he found me, and now I'm fine. How about you, miss…miss…what did you say your name is?"

"Well, do you think I could have my clothes back before we are formally introduced?"

Ianto stepped in "Your clothes were – um – unavailable when we, er, removed you from the hospital,. I trust these will be a suitable replacement."

Her pale green eyes lit up as she opened parcel after parcel – a black leather biker jacket to set off her spiked silvery hair, long, slim jeans, and a proper Welsh turtleneck made of a delicious blend of silk and other orgazmically comfy fibers, and a pair of soft black leather boots, with walking heels, no less. Bliss!

"Oh, Mr. Ianto, thank you…these will be really great. God, this sweater, and the leather on these boots is, well, like butter." He tried not to wince at her American grammar. "But how did you ever figure my foot size?" She was very tall, muscularly built, and not easy to guess at for measurements.

"Measuring tape." He replied, with a deadpan glance at Jack. _Damn, why can't I keep my cheeks from turning red_, he groused to himself. "And it's just Ianto. Ianto Jones."

"Ok, Ianto, Ianto Jones" Jack had to turn away to keep from bursting out laughing. She smirked and then glanced around, wordlessly asking for a place to change. Ianto gestured towards a good-sized storeroom nearby, and her pale eyes flashed her thanks as she dashed off to robe herself in a whole new personality. _THIS is what I'm talking about! _She grinned to herself.

"These are just perfect!" She announced as she strode out in all her glory, making quite an entrance. She was nearly as tall as Jack, and those eyes took in everything, and took everything for their own as she began to assess her surroundings. "Thank you so so much, Mr. Jones, "

"Ianto."

"Ianto, and Captain…"

"Jack."

"Jack. I don't know what I can do to thank you. If you've ever been that close to death, you might know how grateful I am."

Why did his face suddenly go as white as a sheet, and his eyes, glistened a little as if they were starting to tear. He rubbed his hand over his face and wiped away the obvious deep emotion. "I do understand miss. And now?"

"Of course. My Name is Fern. Fern Tyler. Now what on earth, if I'm in fact on Earth, am I doing here. And where is here?

**Please , please give me some reviews. I know I'm new around here, but i need your help. I'm like tinkerbell, y'know? Please let me know how I can make this a better story, or just let me know you've read it - does anyone believe? **


	3. The Castle Pt I

**I'm realizing I've left out a few important things people usually put at the beginning of the story. This has got to be Season 1, after losing Susie, but since I'm making it up as I go along, I'm not sure where it fits. Let's say after Combat. No spoilers so far, except for lack of Susie, I guess.**

Jack decided it was time to introduce her to the rest of the crew. Owen had met her, checking her for injuries, but she hadn't met him, and he hadn't seen her all decked out like this. For the first time ever, he was speechless and could only shake her hand.

"Hi, I'm Gwen." A beautiful, petite woman with dark hair, dark eyes and a brilliant smile moved in to save Owen from his embarrassment. "Owen is not thinking about anything proper right now so you don't want to talk to him anyway. Glad to have you join us…" she faded off when she realized it sounded like she was welcoming her to the team. She looked at Jack, who gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head. Fern noticed it, but really didn't care. She still didn't know what all this was about, so, whatever!

"You've met Ianto," Jack continued, "he is your authority on absolutely everything, most importantly coffee, but also, and I can't emphasize this enough, where you can and cannot go while you are visiting here." The word 'visiting' seemed to stand out and clear things up.

Another petite woman with shy eyes and Asian features stepped forward a bit but didn't speak.

"And this is our Tosh, short for Toshiko. If we need the computers to do something, she's your girl to get it done. She's brilliant," Jack pronounced proudly, and Tosh blushed.

"Jack, that's not necessary. I don't do any more than anyone else here."

"Believe that if you want," he countered. "Now I think it's time for some socializing." Ianto ordered pizza and Fern jumped when, in very few minutes, a massive cog door rolled open and the pizza girl arrived with a stack of incredibly aromatic boxes and a carrier full of cold drinks. The group sat on the couch or the floor around the little coffee table and dug in, and Fern had a great time getting to know the various personalities.

"So, Fern," Owen finally regained his usual confidence, "what's your theory on how you came to be falling out of the Welsh sky and landing in Cardiff?"

"Is that where I am then? Well, I certainly don't have a clue. I was in Pennsylvania last I remember, in a suburban area named for a number of Welsh towns – Narberth, to be exact, but near Bryn Mawr, Bala Cynwyd, Wynnewood and lots of others. I was standing next to my Jeep, looked in the mirror and suddenly everything around me started to just fade away. Some kind of sparkling rings surrounded the mirror, and oh yes, I saw clouds in the mirror that looked like cotton balls, common enough for ..."

"Cotton balls?" Just about all of them repeated her words but each with a very different reaction. Owen scoffed, Ianto seemed mildly intrigued – he never showed great amounts of emotion anyway – Gwen smiled in that encouraging way you do when you think someone's off their nut, and Jack's head snapped around and he turned those amazing eyes directly on her. He repeated it again. "Cotton balls, you said?"

"Well, yes, what's so special about that?"

"Probably nothing. I was looking at cotton ball clouds in the sky when I saw you falling, that's all. Tosh, check the rift activity for that time period."

"Already did. There was an infinite but intense spike exactly when you first saw her – we have you on closed-circuit and I saw your reaction – and then nothing. But there was a definite spike – it's just not like anything I've seen before."

"I wonder if anything else will be 'spiking' through…" Gwen mused. There wasn't much to go on even with that information, so they all conversed while munching on meat-feast pizza for quite some time.

Until the alarms started blaring and red lights started spinning all over the place. Fern jumped up and back against a wall, frozen in fright, and all the others dashed to their stations.

"Tosh – report!" Jack barked.

"Another spike – no dozens of them – each one brief but incredibly intense. Not over the Bay this time – somewhere close to the castle." She looked terribly worried but stuck to her post and worked the keyboard madly.

"Ianto, Owen with me. Gwen stay here until I call for you – I may need you to protect Fern if this is an invasion. Let's GO!"

The men grabbed their weapons and disappeared down a passageway.

(POV change to the SUV).

"Tosh, anything new?" Jack spoke into his comms.

"No – the spikes are continuing with absolute regularity. So far I count about 234 of them and no sign of stopping."

Suddenly Jack looked to the sky. "Oh my God, " was all he said and the others looked at him and then out the windows at the cotton ball clouds that clearly terrified him.

"We are under attack. Contact UNIT immediately and get reinforcements. I'll call in as soon as I see what we're up against."

"On it, Jack. And please - be careful!" Tosh showed her first sign of emotion as her voice took on just a little quiver.

She never noticed that Fern was gone.


	4. The Castle Pt II

_**Thank you, bbmcowgirl and chicapet99 for your support, and a new sense of direction. And yes, dear, there will be plenty of Janto and other goodies – this looks to be a long rambling story, so some things will just take a little time. **_

**_Warning: somewhat graphic descriptions of personal injury_**

_**Meanwhile, back at the Hub...**_

Fern didn't need a distraction to make it easy for her to slip out of sight. All this unexplained traveling from one side of the world to the other, and vague memories during those travels, of what looked like distant galaxies and strange machinery, added to alarms and the threat of some terrifying invasion, well, that seemed good enough reason for her to tuck herself away somewhere and find some way of defending herself. If these – creatures, or things – came dropping from the sky the same way she did, under the thin but thorough cover of those cotton ball clouds, there was a connection to her, good or bad. She had no intention of staying here and becoming vulnerable if they were coming for her.

First she'd need a weapon. She'd seen the weapons locker open as the men prepared to leave, and with Tosh and Gwen on the other side of the Hub, she moved quietly over to the door. She worked the lock in no time – the younger part of her 42 years had been spent in Special Forces, a time she'd hoped to leave behind, to no avail. But she had picked up some very useful skills that weren't in the training manual. Because of that training, she'd kept up her strength and wits and therefore chose the biggest gun in the locker – more of a shoulder-mount cannon of some sort, although in all her experience she'd never seen anything like it.

Her former self seemed to be coming back to life. She stealthed down the passageway to the garage and picked another lock to get out to the street. Now what. She definitely missed an important step when she neglected to look over Tosh's shoulder at the map grids showing how to get from here to the castle. But of course, centre city Cardiff was laid out to fulfill the every need of its many tourists and there were signs everywhere pointing which way to go and turn and go and turn in the old city streets. She caught a tram and then jogged double-time the rest of the way without losing her breath until she looked up to the sky.

She wouldn't need a map anymore. The last of an invading force was plunging to earth just up the hill from where she'd stopped. She approached the castle from the east side where a broad hillside lead to the battlements. She studied her weapon in preparation, and then looked for some cover. Unfortunately there was nothing available but sharp-leaved holly bushes. She used her weapon and her leather jacket to protect her face but couldn't avoid deep scratches on her hands and cheeks. All at once she was almost in the open and the scene before her was enough to make any young warrior take pause, let alone a middle-aged, had-enough-of-that businesswoman, work-outs notwithstanding.

There were hundreds of soldiers in perfect formation filling the hillsides around the castle. Others were up on the parapets making it clear they had gained a fortress already, albeit an ancient one. But what made the breath leave her lungs were the soldiers themselves. They were tall- basketball player tall. Every one of the muscular, angry-looking soldiers had pale green eyes that seemed to glow - enough for her to see them at this distance. But worst of all, they each had a shock of silvery hair. She chuckled silently, humorlessly: she felt like she was seeing action-figure dolls of herself, transformed into warriors.

But that wasn't the worst of it, not even close. About 25 yards from them were a miniscule army – Ianto, Owen and – on the ground – Jack. The other two were injured but standing, but Jack looked like he must be dead this time – there were deep gashes on his chest and arms and one had struck an artery in his leg. He was covered in blood and surrounded by bloody grass. His mates looked about to collapse, so there was nothing for it now, but for her to step forward and do her part. She figured out how to cock the ignition system on the cannon-thing, and strode out of the bushes, a bloody and imposing army of one, aiming her weapon, in a general way, at all of those hundreds at once.

Jack found that to be the moment to gasp for air and sit up, trying to regain some strength. He was in terrible pain, and Ianto could see his old wounds weren't healing fast enough to beat out the new ones. Then he and Owen turned and saw this inexplicable warrior-woman striding towards them, armed to the teeth. Unhesitating, even when they saw it was Fern, they pulled out their guns and started shooting at her.

She was immediately struck in the left arm and nicked in the right leg. She safetied the cannon and threw it aside. "What the hell? I'm on your side!"

"How do we know that?" Owen's voice was rasping with the effort to shout. "You were just pointing OUR largest weapon at us. You fell out of the sky just like these buggers – I mean aliens did, and just as we got them to agree to a peace-fire, you try and get them all riled up again."

"I don't feel inclined to turn my back to you, frankly, Fern." Ianto chimed in, just before falling to one knee and leaning over to cough up blood.

"Good God. I know how that looked – now – sorry, guys. I don't understand any of this..." she drifted off, not knowing what to say.

Jack leaned over so he could see her and seemed to want to talk to her. "Can I?" She asked Jack's defenders. Ianto nodded and she ran up to him and kneeled by his side. She put her ear near his mouth and he whispered to her:"You said your name is Tyler?"

She nodded.

"And while you were recovering you had dreams of a whirring," he stopped to cough and catch his breath,"a rhythmic machinery?"

She nodded again, her chin brushing his bloody, stubbled cheek. Because of that slight touch or because shock was setting in, she began to shiver. He was making some point, and it felt like it was the kind that might change her life. Not that it was anything like normal so far.

"Do you know the Doctor?"

She sat up and stared at him. She was no longer shivering but outright shaking and Owen limped over to her. He hadn't heard anything but he could see the conversation was taking a bad turn. "We need to wrap things up here. I don't know if this truce is going to hold."

"I do." She responded and stood up. She turned to face the troops and looked deep into the eyes of any within range.

"Arnagha Li. Fearn agh un Nahl de Mierren. Nash nagh?" Ianto and Owen looked her with even more shock and maybe a little awe.

One who was taller than most raised his sinewy arm and pumped the shield he held in the air three times. Then he tilted his head back and made a noise more like a shofar than the yell of a man or beast. Immediately every soldier on the ground and on the castle walls went down on one knee and bowed their heads.

"Fearn, Hadh neh t'reigh, t'weall. Nashe naghd." They stood, turned a perfect about face, and filed into the castle, which had been emptied of tourists when they first started to arrive. At long last there was silence on the field, and they could all hear Jack's rasping breathing.

"This isn't right, Owen snapped. "We need to get him back to the Hub immediately and then we have some questions for you, stranger." She gave him a sharp look when he called her that, then she picked Jack gently up in her arms and started walking towards the SUV, which was parked just down the hill. All they could do was follow in stunned silence and head back to the Hub.

Of course, that's exactly when Unit finally showed up.


	5. The Castle Pt III

_**Our beloved team, our heroes, are suffering, but there is more to come. The invaders still wait in the castle, UNIT is setting up a siege camp around them, and someone has to find a solution because with this many creatures misplaced in time and space, the Rift is in a major disruptive phase. Time itself may begin to crumble...but first, our people need some comfort...**_

**_Warning: fairly graphic descriptions of personal injury_**

* * *

As they trooped up the tunnels back into the Hub, Gwen and Tosh stood and stared, utterly shocked at this woman carrying a dead or dying Jack. They knew he'd survive, or he should anyway, but the blood and the wounds and the horrible pain on his face tore into their senses.

"Bring Jack to the autopsy bay – I'll get him in good enough shape and reduce the pain and bleeding." This was Owen's territory so he took command. "Ianto let me take a look at you – ok, Tosh, you're going to have to clean his wounds – it's mostly just deep cuts on everyone except Fern, and I want Ianto to see to her as soon as he is able: I've given him some training. Gwen, come down here and help me with Jack."

Fern delivered Jack to the cold, steel table, and then sat down abruptly on the steps to the autopsy bay. The loss of blood from her gunshot wound was finally taking its toll, and she weakly watched them repair Jack, while his open eyes and grimacing expressions made it clear he was still very much alive and awake.

Tosh made quick work of tending to Ianto's wounds – he suffered mostly from loss of blood and worry for Jack. Together they helped Fern up to the couch and Ianto laid her down gently. "Owen has showed me how to do this…I'll be as gentle as I can." Tosh turned away, unable to stay nearby if she was not needed, and she went to monitor the rift for any further invasions. Ianto inserted a hypodermic needle near Fern's wound. Silence. She turned her head away but made no sound. With gloved hands, he picked up a probe and tried to estimate the direction of entry of the bullet. His hands were shaking and he was clearly just about at the end of his tether, but if he could just help her, he might make it through this. After all, it was probably his bullet that had caught her – Owen's gun had been emptied before she arrived and he was holding the Webley for show only – it's magazine was also empty.

"I'm so sorry…" he muttered, knowing it really wasn't going to help matters, and pushed the probe into he wound. He held his breath as he felt for the bullet – not sure if he was touching bone or metal, but she was starting to moan and beginning to try and pull away. There it was. He lost hold of it once, but on the second try, it was out, and she knew it, which finally broke her control. Her scream disturbed Myfanwy from her perch, but she stayed up high, having been trained _not_ to be attracted to the scent of human blood.

"Oh God – I'm sorry – but it's out…" Ianto tried to comfort Fern, but she went limp after that one scream. He cleaned her arm and leg and bandaged them, then just sat on the floor and stared at her, waiting for her to show some sign of movement. When none came, he got up, gingerly, and leaned over and kissed her softly, for her bravery, for her sacrifice. He had a feeling her part in this was not done by far. But for now he felt responsible for her as his patient, so he pulled up a chair and watched, and waited. His head nodded until he finally fell into a restless sleep.

Tosh looked over at him a few times, then averted her eyes to the screens. This was more than she'd ever seen her team go through. She felt useless right now, unable to help anyone. And that was a feeling Tosh could hardly bear.

Owen and Gwen sat together on the floor of the autopsy bay. He'd done as much as he could for Jack – his mysterious healing ability would have to do the rest. At least he could stop the pain. It was a revelation for him – somehow he'd thought Jack just expired and never experienced the torture of multiple wounds, each deeper than the last. He knew different now, and thought differently about Jack because of it. He was no longer a heartless commander, but a leader who suffered, for himself, but also for his team.

Gwen's eyes held tears of empathy as she saw Owen discover what she already knew. She gently cleaned Jack's blood off Owen's face and arms, then rested her head on his shoulder, and he laid his head on hers. They were exhausted and asleep before Jack woke up, eased himself off the morbid table, and dragged himself up the stairs, intending to head for his office.

But he stopped when he saw Ianto and Fern. His legs went weak when he looked at his beloved asleep and wounded. He hadn't felt that deeply for anyone in so long, and it took him quite by surprise. He stroked his thumb tenderly on Ianto's cheek, but it didn't wake him. The Hub was as close to silent as it ever was – just the burbling water at the base of the Rift Manipulator, the occasional flapping of Myfanwy's wings, the mechanical sounds of the computers keeping watch on the world for them. He let Ianto sleep for now.

Then he looked at Fern. What is she? He mused. Enemy? Savior? Victim? And he knew she had somehow been in contact with the Doctor, but she might not even remember it. He wasn't sure whether to probe for that information. He closed his eyes and sought out her thoughts as much as he could. He ignored images of this day's events, anything at Torchwood, beyond that, just barely able to see what she'd seen as she was pulled from her part of the world to this one.

He suddenly pulled out of her mind in shock. Of course – that would explain some of the inconsistencies, and her own confusion. He had reached back to the day she stood on the steps in front of her late grandmother's house, and found in her mind that it was all of two years ago. She had lost two years of her life – somehow – maybe in limbo, maybe in the company of the Doctor. He was more determined than ever to find out.

With the last of his strength, sensing that Fern could take care of herself, he tenderly picked Ianto up and carried him to his office and down to his private little chamber, and laid him on his cot. All he wanted in the world right now was to lay next to Ianto and feel his heart beating. And so he did.


	6. The Battle Pt I

_**Once again, I should thank the creators of Jack, Ianto and lovely Torchwood and leave that credit with them, I just want to borrow for a bit and give them something to do while you get around to finding someone to create series 4! (HINT HINT). Love you all, readers, hope you enjoy…**_

By 4am, Tosh was the only one still awake in the Hub – even Myfanwy had become quiet in her aerie high up in the tower. Tosh glared at her monitors, looking for some clue as to what – If anything – connected Fern's fall from the sky to the invasion. She hadn't seen the aliens, but Ianto had – with waning strength – told her in amazement how there seemed to be something that connected the invaders and Fern, even in their looks. It might only be because they had responded as if they knew her when she spoke their language – it all made it quite clear there was indeed a something between them, and there was no way to find out more until Fern regained consciousness.

Tosh was not going to give up until she found some clue. And anyway, with so much going on, someone needed to stay awake and make sure the Hub remained a safe haven for her wounded mates. She shook her head and looked down in a silent prayer at that thought – this confrontation, this battle had brought each of them so close to losing their lives – even Jack seemed so vulnerable for the first time in her experience.

She changed the focal area on her monitor, widening the range and looking back in time a little to see if there had been any other similar incidents. Nothing in England, so she widened it again to include Europe, then scanned the entire globe. Nothing…nothing….wait! She adjusted the time range to the day Fern had arrived and focused on the path that might lead from Philadelphia to Cardiff. There! She almost called out to the group, but instead started putting together a report and printed out what she'd found to give to Jack as soon as he emerged next day.

Which wasn't much later. He and Ianto re-entered the main part of the Hub together around 6:30am, looking thoughtful but refreshed, Ianto heading for the much-needed coffee, Jack straight to Tosh. "Good morning, trooper. What have you…" but he didn't finish his sentence as she handed him the hard copy of her findings. He paged through the report, his eyes first curious, then almost skeptical, then bright and energized with amazement. There was a definite rift-energy pattern between the eastern US and Wales at the very moment Fern had been pulled from her world to theirs. No wonder – as well he knew – her own sense of time and reality had lost coherency when the rift took her. The rift could do anything – age you hundreds of years, rob you of your past, give you a future that hadn't existed before – and it seemed to have torn her from one destiny to another. Or – the eternal question – is this where the universe needed her now?

He paced over to where she lay sleeping on the couch. Brushing a bit of silver hair off her cheek, he found her more intriguing than ever. She was strong, willful, acted totally independently, almost as if this kind of action wasn't at all unfamiliar to her. Ianto brought him his blue striped mug and he continued to study her as he took his first wonderful sip. Then he turned to Ianto, "Oh, that's heaven, Ian- ? Ianto?" He beloved's eyes showed a strange conflict of emotion, deep blue the way they are when he is thinking passionate thoughts about his lover, but they radiated a question. "Ianto what is it?" Ianto looked at Jack once more, then looked at Fern. Jack followed his gaze, and saw the deep blue in his eyes did not dissipate – if anything, they intensified. "What are you thinking, my mysterious Welshman?"

Jack knew very well that much of the "innovative" nature of their lovemaking came from Ianto himself, stopwatch and all, although he certainly prided himself on an encylopaedic knowledge of ways of giving pleasure to the one he loved. He watched Ianto gazing at Fern the exact same way he himself had gazed at her the night before, and felt a familiar but quite surprising response deep in his male center. He could make love to almost any being, but a thought began to form in his head – could this be the time to invite someone new into his and Ianto's private world?

And then reality broke back in - no way – yes way, when else would the rift monitor start to blare? Jack tore himself away from his illicit thoughts and ran over to Tosh - it was a single rift flare, blessedly normal. Probably just an artifact – not much energy emitting from the area, and it was nowhere near the Castle. "I'll take this one – Ianto keep an eye on the team. Tosh keep an eye on the world and let me know if anything changes."

"All right, Jack, but keep in close contact. And, Jack," Tosh's voice was firm and concerned. "Be back soon – we have to deal with this issue and will be getting calls from UNIT any time now."

"You've got a point. Wonder why they haven't called yet. What am I saying? They don't think anyone can handle an alien invasion better than they can, and they'd rather keep the damn thing contained their own way. They're more likely to start a war…Ianto, contact Lt. Colonel Bryce and see what you can find out, would you?'

"Right on it, Jack. I'll let you know. Stay safe." Jack rushed over to give his wounded lover a passionate kiss and then he was gone, leaving ianto with the remnants of a very interesting, and exotically delicious fantasy to try and clear from his head as he went to make the call.

_**Intriguing enough to garner a few more reviews and readers? Actually I can see from the stats that there have been many readers and to you I hope I am delivering something enjoyale. Thanks again for the feedback, reviewers. There are definitely more surprises in store in this story – I just wish I could write better and more often!**_


	7. The Battle Pt II

_**I have changed the chapter titling a little to give the story a little coherence and, maybe, sophistication. I'm trying to tie at least three plot lines together which is why it's taking so long, there seem to be many ways the next chapters could go, and my style is to create the story as I go along. Maybe you've noticed that already! Anyway, thank you to all readers and reviewers, and I'll try to give you more to critique.**_

Ianto leaned on Jack's desk as he finished the phone call. "Yes, you will hear from us if there is any related rift activity. I'll report to Captain Harkness, but I must say he will probably be calling you as soon as he returns. Yes, and he may have some input that will influence your strategy. Lieutenant Colonel, I can't stress to you enough there are aspects to this situation we don't even understand, and I don't think it is advisable to take action until we sort them out. No, sir, I'm not second in command. Yes, sir, I'll report to the Captain and he'll call you straighta—" the line went dead before he could finish the call.

He slammed his fist on the desk. Just as he feared, UNIT had surrounded the castle with hundreds of troops, setting up portable artillery and preparing to take out the castle, all its history and all its current inhabitants. He couldn't explain that it was built there because the ancient Welsh knew it was a center of some kind of power. He couldn't tell him the Castle was itself a rift anchor, one of very few locations around the globe where rift flares that came near it were neutralized, and the arrival of the alien warriors at that very spot was hugely significant. He couldn't even tell himself the reason for that. This knowledge was hidden deep in his genetic memory and could not be accessed now. He'd have to leave that to Tosh and her devoted study of the rift movements.

Jack strode in through the hub door just as Ianto was taking his frustration out on Jack's desk. Water was streaming from his vintage RAF greatcoat. He muttered under his breath about Welsh weather and then called out to Tosh. "No major arrivals from that flare – a piece of space junk we'll have to deal with later. I hid it so we can retrieve it after we solve our top priority issue – those warriors. Owen, report on the condition of our team."

Owen dragged himself up out of his work area and leaned on a desk – sleeping on the floor, even cuddled with Gwen, was not the best way to refresh a wounded man. Ianto handed him his coffee and he reported to Jack that everyone except Fern was ambulatory and strong in spite of their wounds, and Fern had regained consciousness but he had advised her to rest a little longer. Jack turned to her expecting to find her asleep on the couch, but she was sitting upright, quite alert, with a kind of fire in her eyes. "What is it, Fern. How are you feeling?"

"I feel just fine, Captain, but I overheard what Ianto was saying in his conversation with your Unit people. You can't let them rile up those barbarians – there will be nothing but blood filling Cardiff Bay if Unit engages battle with them."

"Ianto?"

"Yes, sir. Lt. Colonel Bryce is holding off on attacking, awaiting word from you but they have the castle surrounded." He led Jack up to his office and showed him schematics Bryce had e-mailed to him of the layout of their arms and troops. "I was about to call you with the information when you returned…" Jack was studying the schematics too intently to be irritated about not being informed immediately. It was close enough. Unit hadn't made a strike and that is what mattered the most.

Suddenly the Hub alarms started blaring as the massive cog door opened. Jack got to his window just in time to see Fern racing out and leaving the Hub in an unexplained rush.

"Tosh – cameras. Where is she going?"

"She's running incredibly fast, Jack, almost inhumanly fast, toward the Castle, I have no doubt. But I can't imagine why."

Jack paced back and forth, hands on his hips. "OK. I'm going to have to go up to the castle and try to keep Fern from getting herself killed. Owen and Gwen, go ahead to the coordinates Tosh will give you where this morning's flare dropped the space junk. By the time you get it back here I'll let you know if I need you at the Castle."

"Jack that's insane. You can't fight those barbarians yourself. You may be immortal but you aren't bloody Superman." Owen's typical smart mouth let loose.

"Save it, Owen, we're not having a discussion. Unit will provide all the firepower I need if it comes to that, but that's what I'm trying to prevent. I also think Fern…well I'll let you know if my theory is right about her relationship to these people. And Owen, you may think they look barbarian, but you have no idea how advanced they are or aren't. They are a complete unknown and I'm not making any assumptions ahead of knowing them better. I'm out." He headed down the tunnels to the SUV and was gone.

"But Jack!" Owen tried one more time, but he knew he would be ignored. He was.

Jack sped toward the castle, part of him fuming at Fern for taking off on her own, wondering if she was even physically up to it, and part of him remembering that completely unexplainable moment the three of them had just recently shared. He respected her, sure, but never expected to feel drawn to her as he was. He belonged to Ianto and Ianto alone. For the first time in his memory he was totally confused about his feelings. And determined to stuff them into the background so he could function and, if necessary, fight.

He was considerably surprised and confused when he arrived at the castle, having passed through the UNIT perimeter with no resistance. What he found was Fern talking to one of the 'aliens', a man head and shoulders taller than her. Her hands were on her hips and her stance was strong but ready to defend herself. They were talking, well almost shouting in the alien language. He kept his distance but moved perpendicular to her so she might see him out of the corner of her eye, in case she chose to call on him for help.

Instead, she stepped back for a moment, and hung her head. Then she straightened her shoulders, and as the warrior turned back towards the castle, she followed him, and in seconds was swallowed up behind the huge wooden doors of the main entrance. Immediately Jack head a blood-curdling roar from the men inside the castle. Evidently there had been some kind of negotiation, and they felt they had won.

Jack suddenly felt the strongest urge to burst down those doors and stop whatever was happening in there. His feeling of dread was almost incapacitating. He needed Fern. He desperately needed Ianto. He hated needing anyone. He rested one knee on the damp, dewy ground, leaned his forehead on his hand, feeling a little like he was waiting in the Garden for their Savior … to do what? He couldn't help but wonder what sacrifice she was about to make.


	8. The Battle Pt III

_****__**Perhaps I should repeat the disclaimers – I don't pretend to own or even understand Jack, Ianto, Owen, Gwen, and Tosh. But I'm about to give them something to think about and a couple of them an experience like nothing they've ever had. Hope they like it. And I hope Russell and Starz don't mind. Oh, and just for this storyline, please imagine Cardiff Castle to be a little bigger than it actually is…just humor me. The finale, which is coming in the next chapter or so, should make it worthwhile.**_

And Jack was right. Fern had been thinking long and hard while she seemed to be asleep back at the hub. She, too, saw how every one of the warriors had her silver hair, her green eyes, her strong-boned physique, just in a male and clearly alien form. And she knew that somehow, she knew the answer why, but it took all night to finally grasp at a glimmer of memory that would open up an entire piece of her life that had been hidden from her. What she couldn't even guess was that Jack already knew a good deal about that missing piece, about this Doctor he'd asked about. It was time for her to sort it out.

Her memories were beginning to return and grow in validity. She was sure that before coming to Wales she had travelled for a long time through space. The ship wasn't like anything from science fiction or fact – it was alive. She knew this because its pilot – a lanky man with brown hair, deep brown eyes and a nearly-Welsh way of speaking told her so. He took her to a planet and they landed. And sure enough, it was populated with the very warriors that were now inhabiting Cardiff Castle. They evidently lived on another of many rifts in time and space and on it they had constructed something like a ziggurat in the center of their somewhat primitive city. The Doctor led her into it, stealthily, and they found a room at the center that held modern machinery that was alive with light and sound. The silver-haired people discovered them in their "holy-of-holies" and took them captive.

What happened next is beyond anything that has ever happened on earth, even in the rift-affected areas. An entire population, affected by the excessive energy let loose as the machinery collapsed, went thru a genetic transformation. Anyone who was there became a silver-haired, green-eyed, larger-than-life warrior, or a brown-haired, brown-eyed, quiet, lanky peacemaker. They became instant enemies, unlike their progenitors, Fern and the Doctor.

The rest is another story, and Fern couldn't remember anything beyond that until waking up on a boat in Cardiff Bay with a man of extreme beauty lying dead beside her. Since the rift machinery on that distant planet was destroyed, the Doctor was very worried, and he took responsibility for sending her to Torchwood 3 because he knew if anyone could take back control of time itself, it was Captain Jack Harkness. And Fern. Whom he had trained carefully before hiding her memory from her so she would not run in fear before performing one essential task.

Her memory of that task came to her that night as she lay recuperating on the couch in the Hub. And she looked around her and saw the identical machinery to that in the ziggurat. She wished she could talk to someone, someone who would understand what she was about to do. But she couldn't know that Jack was immortal and would have been the best person to open her heart to. She'd even seen him come back to life, but didn't know it. Like most people, she re-interpreted his revivals and assumed he was only 'almost' dead.

So when the Torchwood team turned and saw she was awake and feeling better, she knew it was time to get away, before they could read the urgency in her eyes and suspect she was going to do something dangerous, foolish, and utterly necessary to save the fabric of time.

And in her heart of hearts, there were not one but two men she had fallen in love with, and she couldn't let them down. She felt like that was a slightly corny thought, but she needed it to get motivated. This was going to be very difficult.

So when she rushed from the hub and made her way with greatest speed to the castle the doors were opened to her. She entered and barely had room to stand among the crowd of roaring, restless and irritable warriors. But they parted and made way for her to go to their leader on a small dais on the far side of the cramped space.

She faced him and they exchanged words. The men roared again in approval and banged on their shields with their barbed swords. Fern knelt down and bowed her head. The leader raised his sword above her and…

Meanwhile, Jack lifted his head when he heard the roaring cheers. This couldn't be good. He started to clamber up the steep hill towards the doors, now unguarded, but before he could get there, a pillar of light rose from the roofless castle into the sky. Even though it was a clear, star-filled night, he could not see where it ended – he used his wrist band to try and calculate its trajectory and possible target, and shook his head when he saw the results. Vulduria? A planet many galaxies away from where he was standing. He knew nothing of the place but its name, and had no clue as to what this pillar of light meant, except generally when that kind of energy was generated, big things happen.

And happen they did. The pillar reached to the damaged rift manipulator in the ziggurat at the center of the 'holy' city on Vulduria. It repaired it and drew every last warrior back to their home. And then it was extinguished.

About that time Jack finally made it to the castle doors and didn't like the silence inside. The parapets were empty as well. He pried open the unlocked doors and looked inside, fearing the worst.

In the moonlight his fears were realized. The threat of the aliens was gone, but there on a stone platform on the far side of the space was a crumpled body, a woman with silver hair and steam rising from her as if she had been…burned? No, as he moved closer to her, there was no visible harm. He touched her shoulder then turned her so he could see her face. She looked like she might just be sleeping, but when he placed two fingers at the base of her neck, he felt no pulse, and he leaned his ear to her lips and felt no breath.

He rested his head on her chest for a moment, wishing a heartbeat to return, but when he turned his torch on to look at her more closely, he could see she was already turning blue, the cyanotic color of death. He gathered her up gently in his arms, remembering faintly that she had done the same for him, and walked back to the SUV to return to the Hub.

_**How can this be? Is Fern dead? Weren't there some romantic moments between her and both Ianto and Jack? What's up with that? Watch for more chapters - I'm on a roll!**_


	9. The Rising Pt I

_**OK, I just want to let you know, this is the chapter where the story starts to earn its M rating. Do not read further if you are offended by, well, anything sexual, because in the Torchwood 'verse, anything is possible…**_

Jack walked through the dark rain, crossing Roald Dahl Plass, and stepping onto the perception filter before anyone could see there was a body slung over his shoulder. He used his belt-loop to pry open his wrist strap, pressed a button with his chin, and the cement slab began to descend into the Hub.

This was not the usual entrance for any of the Torchwood team. Hearing the roof doorway open and the lift mechanism whirring, they all rose slowly from their desks and gathered around the base, waiting, knowing something profound must have happened. Jack came to a stop and shifted Fern's dead body into both his arms, cradling her. Her blood stained both of them, making the others wonder if Jack was wounded, too. But no one moved.

Jack's face held no expression. Ianto's face turned white as did his knuckles as he grasped a railing. Owen shifted from one foot to the other, feeling useless. This wasn't the way this was supposed to end. Fern was the Visitor, their guest. Not a human sacrifice, which she clearly had become. Tosh and Gwen couldn't hold back tears – of grief, shock and even anger that they too never had a chance to save her.

Jack stepped off the base of the lift and the desolate group parted to let him pass, as he took her body down to the morgue. Owen followed, and helped arrange her on the table. Then they both just stood there. Owen supposed there was an autopsy to be done and she should be cleaned up before being put into cryo – where else would they put her after all?

"Jack…I….what…?" Owen stuttered. Fern had once again caused him to be uncharacteristically speechless.

"I was outside the castle," Jack's voice was low and somehow dangerous. Clearly he was still in the anger stage – all he wanted was to find someone to blame for this, someone to hurt for taking her. "I didn't see, but I could hear her…her scream and then there was a pillar of light and then they were all gone." The seemingly senseless words spilled out and his shoulders slumped. He was spent. He couldn't figure out how she had gotten into his heart, but he knew she had, and her sacrifice only made him love her more.

He didn't even react when Ianto appeared at his side. But when he saw the tears on Ianto's face, he lifted his chin. "Why, Ianto? Why was killing her necessary for…for them to leave?" Not that Ianto would have an answer. Jack was in shock and didn't have any idea what he was saying or who he was speaking to.

Ianto's feelings were just as tangled. He had kissed her. He had somehow put aside his devotion to Jack long enough to begin to have very deep feelings for her. He laughed, a little hysterical, wondering if she was from the same pheromone-advanced century as Jack, then hating himself for such a foolish thought.

Owen began to bathe her wounds, robotically going through the motions of his profession, removing her ruined clothes and dressing her in a gown suitable for autopsy and then cryostasis. He cleaned her wound as he would if he were trying to treat it – he was completely confused by his own actions, as they all were.

The moment happened so quickly three men let out a yell – almost a scream, part horror, part shock, and part hope. One moment Owen was cleaning the wound, the next moment Fern was sitting upright, gripping his wrist tightly enough to nearly snap it. Her face was grey, her pale eyes were wide open and there were dark circles under them. Her silvery hair stood out all over as if she was experiencing an electrical shock.

And she spoke.

"Don't." Was all she said. And Owen backed away as if from a monster.

Jack was the first to regain his wits. "Fern? Is that who you are – are you still Fern?" She nodded her head solemnly.

Ianto was the first to see the beginnings of pale pink returning to her cheeks. Later, much later he might want it all to make sense, but right then he could only do what his soul told him to do. He took her face gently in her hands and kissed her – first gently, then deeply, then it became rough as his tongue tried to push in and gain entrance. Whether it made sense or not.

Jack had to pull him off her. He didn't question what his lover had done. He knew. In a flash of revelation he knew Ianto was as drawn to her as he was. That both of them needed her. And neither knew why or what to do about it.

Owen gave her a robe to wear and she swung her legs off the table. She stood, and then swayed as she tried to get her circulation moving – Jack caught her and suddenly he was holding her tight In an embrace of welcome, wonder, and racing questions. What was she? Was she like him? Did the Doctor give her immortality – had he given it to Jack, or was it the Tardis as he'd always believed – the questions made less and less sense as he held her and tears ran down his cheeks. Could it be that he was no longer alone in the Universe, and there was someone who knew what his life-death-life was like? Or was this the first time for her? No matter – they could talk later. Ianto joined the embrace and then Owen, and eventually Tosh and Gwen, who'd rushed into the autopsy bay, were there too. Questions could be answered later.

Much later, Fern was resting and Tosh and Gwen had left. Ianto brought Jack his cup of coffee, his own strong, favorite brew that could melt battery acid, he was sure.

After a moment's hesitation, he sat down, but didn't speak. Jack knew he never spoke unless Jack said something first and that he was waiting for that implicit prompt. But this time he didn't want to comply. He had a good idea what was on Ianto's mind, but this was too important. Words needed to be said. Things needed to be discussed. Some kind of agreement had to be reached. And if he started the conversation, Ianto's words would be nothing but a response. And that was unacceptable for this…. this…. whatever This was to become.

At last, Ianto sensed Jack's silence was significant and he lifted his head. Dove right in. "Jack, I love her. I need her. God, I _want_ her!" Ianto's cheeks blazed – he always hated revealing his feelings. He even hated Jack a little for making him speak first. Because he knew there was something Jack had to say as well.

"She is lovely, Ianto. She's larger than life. She's a hero. She's – she's everything I'd want in a woman if I really wanted a woman. Hell, yes, I _want_ her, " he gave the same emphasis as Ianto had, "but you and I…"

"…are a couple!" Ianto grinned, finally breaking the tension. Jack grinned back and they relaxed and sipped at their coffees, absorbing their progress so far.

"So why not, Ianto? Why couldn't the three of us – " Jack began, but Ianto put his hand up.

"Like I said, we're a couple. We're committed to each other. We _belong_ to each other. I don't want to risk that, even for Fern." Jack studied the look on Ianto's face very carefully as he said this. He knew before Ianto did that these words weren't completely accurate. His fire-blue eyes bore into Ianto's until he had to turn away, shading his own cobalt-blues from that truth. However it was going to happen, it was going to _have_ to happen. They both needed her too much and simply avoiding being with her, truly _being_ with her, wasn't going to change that. They still needed to find an answer.

Her voice, soft and a little husky, seemed to float into the room. "I know the answer." She stood at the doorway, the nearly-translucent robe covering her to her ankles, but hiding nothing. Both men jumped in surprise, and both men felt their reactions in a deeper way, the physical way, at the same time.

"So, how, then?" Jack managed to speak, although his mouth had gone dry and he had to lay his hands on the desk because, inexplicably, they were trembling.

"If we three make love together, neither of you are cheating the other of anything, are you?" She waited a beat to let that sink in, then, "You will each share me and share each other. I will taste of each of you as well. I will not be cheated either." She moved into the room. "Will I?"

Both men stood in unison, or tried to, for as man reacts to woman, movement becomes a little difficult.

"No." She put a hand up, and grasped the doorjamb for support. "Not here. Not yet. I'm still too weak. But very soon. I cannot wait much longer." They could see her lust as well, as her nipples stood out through the gossamer gown, and her eyes darkened. She turned and left them with their want and their struggle for resolution.

_**There will be more tonight, I promise. I just can't write this stuff at work and concentrate - no cold showers allowed at a call center!**_


	10. The Rising Pt II

_**Our Miss Fern has gone through many changes through the course of this story, beginning as a broken-down businesswoman, growing to become an amazon heroine, and now, at last, a shameless hussy. Not that that's a bad thing!**_

Naturally, as Fern's strength began to return, there was suddenly no quiet moment to be with her. Both Ianto and Jack still felt the burning memory of seeing her in the doorway of Jack's office, willing but not ready. Each found every opportunity to be close to her that they could.

First the Rift alarm decided it was the season to be jolly and started going off every five hours or so. The team would no sooner return from one goose-chase than it was off on another. Sometimes they'd return bloodied and battered from a run-in with a weevil or other such aliens. One such time Fern took Ianto, who looked about to collapse, and guided him to the couch.

She searched his eyes as she cleaned his wounds, gently sliding a wet sponge across the gash on his right temple, the slash on his left forearm, and the small but specifically sensitive wound on his inner thigh. He gasped as she removed his jeans – he'd sensibly worn work clothes – but she just smirked and continued to clean and dress his wounds.

There was no one else in the Hub – Fern and Ianto took monitor duty while the others were out hunting.

Ianto felt an erection growing and panicked as there was just the thin cotton of his underwear to cover it.

Fern covered his mouth with her full lips, sucking on his pouty lower lip, licking and tasting him at last. "Ianto...I've wanted you for so long now..." He'd had no idea she returned his passion this strongly. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and for uncounted minutes they simply drank each other like they were lost in the desert, lusting for more. Ianto's hand found its way to her breast and squeezed hard, winning a loud and happy moan from her. She grabbed his balls so suddenly he yelped – and then she pulled away.

"There's much much more where that comes from my dear Ianto. Here – " she handed him a sealed envelope. "Don't open this until 11:00 tonight."

He took it and slipped it into his jeans pocket as he returned them to their rightful position on his slender hips. She followed the motion, enjoying the view from behind just a _little_ too much...

"And Ianto," she said as she heard the SUV arriving and team members hauling something angry and unmanagable out of it, "bring those things from the archive that you showed me, yeah?"

"Yeah." He grinned, hands on hips in that adorable way he had. Then they turned to help the team lock up some new monster in the vaults and it was back to business.

Fern had taken on some of the archiving duties since Ianto was so good in the field now, so she busied herself at his workstation, logging in the most recent activity according to Tosh's records. "Fascinating beastie, isn't it?" She asked no one in particular, "Not a hair on him but – Ooof!" it was her turn to yelp as Jack appeared out of nowhere so close behind her she could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck. "God Jack, you...you..." her eyes began to slide shut as she took in his intoxicating scent, and she felt just how hard he was as he pressed himself against her firm buttocks.

"When, Fern? Are you playing us? You look mighty healthy to me just now..." He reached around and took both of her breasts in his hands, as if judging them at a county fair. "You bastard! Jack!" She whipped around but he caught her wrist before she could halfheartedly slap him, and instead he locked his lips on hers. "Ahh...what is that I taste on your lips?" He spoke without removing his mouth from hers. "Something verrrry familiar..." she could hear his voice becoming husky and breathless, and wanted so much to give in, but instead put her hands on his chest and pushed him away, giving him an envelope identical to the one she'd given Ianto, with the same instructions: do not open until 11:00 that night.

At last, with uncharacteristically elegant timing, the rift monitor became quiet, and after days of endless activity, Jack sent the team home with orders not to return tomorrow unless paged – ulterior motives notwithstanding. He and Ianto shared chinese take-out and made attempts at guessing what Fern might be up to, but other than the items she wanted from the archives, there wasn't much to go on.

"What did she tell you to bring, Ianto?" Jack asked, mung-bean sprouts dangling from his mouth. He wasn't known for his manners.

"Just some crystal-like globes that have never done anything at all, and another pile of some crystalline pieces that also have never manifested any properties. They aren't even beautiful. I'm stumped."

They munched in silence. Fern was – no surprise – nowhere to be seen.

Eleven o'clock finally arrived and the men tore open their envelopes – they could have disobeyed, but they'd decided together that Fern had something about her that made it easy to follow her orders. The cards inside were also identical and had only five words on them:

:Meet me at the Castle:

The men exchanged a glance then sprang into action. Ianto almost forgot the artifacts and turned back for them at the last minute and they jumped into the SUV, tearing out onto Stryd Bute and up St. Mary's, pulling up at Duke Street in front of the main entrance that led to the castle keep.

Ianto shuddered involuntarily as they walked inside the stone barrier wall, remembering the vast lawns and the steep hill leading up to the castle keep filled with imposing alien warriors. But tonight, a rare, cloudless night, there was no one anywhere to be seen. Once inside they closed the wooden entrance doors and the sounds of Cardiff disappeared. All they could hear were crickets, an occasional owl, bullfrogs in the pond on the other side of the keep, and their own thumping hearts.

They strode with anticipation and not just a little admiration, for Fern had made some tricky arrangements if she did what they suspected she'd done.

They were right. After climbing the steep stairs to the ancient wooden doors, Jack pushed them open (also remembering a darker moment having done this before) and they entered a wonderland. The darkness was framed with glowing globes of light here and there around the perfect circle of grass that made up the inside of the keep. Up on the stone dais the pile of crystals were glowing like a bonfire, providing both light and warmth that was reflected and retained by the stone walls that rose around them.

Then Fern stepped out from behind the crystals whose light had kept her hidden. Jack and Ianto had been walking slowly towards the center of the keep, but stopped in their tracks. Her tall form was draped in some translucent material that floated in the breeze, emphasized her breasts, her thighs, and the swelling between them. She was smiling, but her lips were trembling a little, not the only sign that all of this was arousing her, too.

Not that Jack was intimidated at all. Uh-uh. This was a uniquely beautiful setting and he knew there was something important that was going to happen tonight, but he _had_ had many soul-altering experiences. Nooooo, he wasn't scared, not enough to admit it.

Ianto was. But that was his normal state. He felt more comfortable being uncomfortably intimidated than any other way. So watching the fabric caress the places he wanted to caress was just right for him and he stood entranced.

"So, no one is going to join my little party? Look I have refreshments!" She pulled an open bottle of champagne out of a bucket of ice and poured three glasses. As she offered them to her friends she held up a hand. "No toasts. Let's leave that until later, when we have explored the unknown and know more about what we are celebrating. Yeah?" The men nodded and sipped and the warm tingling, although sweeter than their preference, reached down to their toes.

"Now this is unfair, don't you think? You all covered in wool and denim and me with nothing but gossamer on? What shall we do about that?" They set their glasses down and stood for a moment in a solemn, glowingly happy circle. At last, the time had come.

Jack took his own clothes off and stood unembarassed in all his naked glory. Ianto did his best, but let Fern remove his shirt, and then she took the opportunity to move in closer. Her gown had parted and she was bared to him, pressing herself against his chest. Jack moved behind him, and, already very erect, moved his cock to a growing rhythm between Ianto's buttocks. Ianto's smile was glorious, and Fern drank it in like wine. Then Jack took her fingers into his own mouth and sucked on them. Her curiosity was growing – she knew very little of how men made love to each other, and this was a wonderland of revelations. Jack took first two, then three of her fingers, and inserted them in Ianto's hole, and Ianto moaned and moved his hips to help them go deeper and stretch him, preparing him for Jack.

Jack was the experienced one, so he became the guide. He pulled on the threesome a little, guiding them towards the castle wall, and then turned them so Fern's back was against it. Pinned by two very hot men, she was panting like a kitten in a hot kitchen, waiting. Ianto's hands were finding all sorts of hiding places – her breast, a nipple that got a painfully sharp pinch, eliciting a pleased little scream from her. His other hand had snuck down below and his fingers were finding their way inside her feminine entry, glad to find it very wet and ready. She signalled Jack and he gave her room to kneel down so she could show Ianto one skill she knew very well, taking his cock into her mouth, running her full lips up and down the generous shaft, her tongue occasionally massaging the tip in little circles. She loved it when he started to buck into her, making her gag as it hit the back of her throat. The involuntary reaction was delicious, and every sensation was a wonder she couldn't get enough of.

"Oh...Fern...you do know how I love you, don't you...and Jack, my love!" he whispered, his beautiful Welsh vowels husky and breathless. Jack laughed into the back of Ianto's neck loving the loving of his lover more than he could ever have hoped to. He looked over Ianto's shoulder and watched the spectacle, and removed Fern's fingers replacing them with his own inside Ianto, moving them in and out, in and out... And Fern found Jack's wonderfully hard shaft brush against her hand, and took it and slid her hand up and down to the same rhythm.

"God, someone please take me or enter me I can't stand this anymore." Ianto wasn't much for revealing his feelings in public, but in sex, he knew when he was ready and he said so. This was his moment so Fern released him, looked up to Jack for assurance and got a slight nod. She stood and lifted one leg, letting Jack hold it for her so she could guide Ianto's cock inside her. She wrapped ner arms around Ianto's neck, and felt him shudder as Jack was entering him from behind, and they were almost ready...last move, Fern gripped Jack's arm for support and lifted her other leg up, then he grabbed it long enough for her to wrap her legs around Iant and Jack both as best as she could. Ianto grasped her buttocks and began to rock them so he could thrust inside her, first slow, then gaining speed, then suddenly almost crushing her into the wall as Jack rammed his own huge member deeper and deeper inside Ianto's aching, yearning hole. Jack pushed and Ianto held against him. Jack pulled and Ianto rammed into Fern. The two men rocked in a concert of pleasure, both holding Fern easily with their strong arms, and she was left to pull at her nipples and increase her own desire.

Suddenly there were three entirely differently screams, and the bullfrogs were the only creatures that could hear them, two low ones, like howls, one high and keening, as all three came at once. And then they slowly untangled themselves and retrieved the champagne bucket and a basket of much needed refreshments, placing them at the center of the roofless keep and sprawled in the grass, gazing at the stars, breathless, satiated...and yet...

Fern turned on her side. She'd lost her gown somewhere so she was as naked as they were. She could see the blue in Jack's eyes as he stared back at her. Then Ianto. Who needed stars when there was beauty like this to behold? And if that experience was wonderful, then the next one would certainly be spectacular. Because, for these friends, there was more to come..."Ah, fy cariadau!" she breathed.

_**I really want to continue, and daydreamed an excellent next chapter this afternoon, but I have to confess I'm a bit afraid I've either gone to far or not far enough. If anyone has read one of my other fics, a short one called "Shattered", you may know at least in the fic world, I don't have many rules or restrictions - sex is a wonderful thing for people to share, and it means different things to different people.**_

_****__Anyway, I need your reviews to get an idea if you are interested. This story is fun to write but I don't need to post it if it is offensive or just not interesting. Please let me know. I don't mind if you make up a name or use your real screenname - please do just review! Thanks for reading, anyway!_


	11. The Rising Pt III

_**Not sure if this is as good as my daydream, but a little more loveplay can't be all bad, can it?**_

The three lovers lay breathing heavily and not speaking for quite a while. It seemed everyone had questions, but no one knew where to start. There were some questions better left unasked, as well.

Fern rolled over and reached for the basket. "Have some fruit, and there's fresh bread, cheese, all the comforts of home – even a small stash of Turkish jellies!" The men also rolled over, but neither took anything from the basket.

"Ooo-kay." Fern waited to see what they would ask first.

Jack returned to his back, put his hands behind his head, and made it clear he wasn't going to start things off, again.

Fern figured she owed them an explanation of what had happened on this spot just, what, a week or two ago?

"Jack, you asked me about the Doctor," He sat up and turned towards her, all ears. "Evidently he was responsible for taking me from my life in Pennsylvania out to the stars." She repeated the story of the planet of Vulduria and how she and the doctor were involved in the near-destruction of the Rift Manipulator located there. "But the doctor couldn't explain my role in solving the problem. This is going to be a little hard to believe, but it's true, and I'll prove it to you if I have to. I can't die."

She waited for a reaction, but Jack just returned to his former position. Neither man moved for a while, then eventually Ianto rolled over on his back and put _his_ hands behind _his_ head.

"What? Are you both mad, or asleep, or did I not make myself clear?" Fern was utterly flabbergasted. How could they not react to an outrageous statement such as she had just made?

"I get it – you both agreed to ignore me. OK. Three can play that game." She rolled over on her back and put her own hands behind her head.

Silence reigned for a good 10 minutes.

"I can't die either." Jack said in an expressionless voice.

"You what?" Fern sat up and stared at him, wondering if this was part of the joke. She reached over and grabbed one of his hands, causing his head to bounce in the grass. He laughed and caught her wrist, pulling her towards him so his face was an inch away from hers.

"I. Can't. Die." He stated, again without expression. That did it. His intoxicating presence, and now he turns out to be an anomaly just like her, and she wasn't alone in the universe after all… she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a long, deep kiss – an intimate friend's kiss, not a lover's kiss.

But one thing does lead to another…and Jack knew by the starts the night was moving along – they would only have a few more hours to enjoy this perfect moment. Jack pulled her close to him, pressing her breasts against his chest. His hard nipples tickled her and she giggled into his ear, upon which she'd begun to nibble.

"So what happens when that great – big – you know – is – you know – " she couldn't help giggling. Maybe it was the champagne. Ianto came closer and began to tickle Jack's underarm – which it turned out was the ONLY place he was ticklish, and soon they were all tangled together, laughing hysterically, rolling around like a human ball of yarn with too many ends.

"OK –ok " Jack was the first to become fully erect – in fact, he looked to Fern with a request in his eye and she obliged, leaning over to take his glorious cock in her mouth. That meant her backside was exposed to the night air, and Ianto saw that as an opportunity not to be missed. He reached over into the pocket of Jack's overcoat – never far away – and pulled out a familiar tube of ointment, hefting it like a fine piece of art for a moment. He slathered some on his fingers and around the rim of Fern's hole, then waited for her reaction. She yelped, and pulled away from Jack long enough to take in the fabulous warmth in the jelly on her ass, then continued languidly bathing his erection with loving care, as Ianto began her first experience of, as she put it, "what men do for sex," not her only naivete.

She moaned, and Jack began to moan, loving the vibration of her vocal chords on his very hard penis. He bucked into her as Ianto had, and again, eventually, he went in far enough to make her gag – she pulled back, then went for more.

Ianto was up to three fingers in her hole and was kissing her buttocks as he gripped his own cock, getting ready to mount her. He decided to slather the warming jelly over her stomach, then her breasts, then massaged her nipples. Her moans became more and more urgent. Knowing that she would be filled completely front and back was making her tremble with anticipation.

Jack and Ianto could lean over her shoulder and began a long deep kiss. Jack was sitting and pulled her onto his lap without letting himself enter her just yet. They broke the noisy kiss and Jack licked her ear inside and out while Ianto moved into position behind her. Jack looked to him and they seemed to have the same idea at once – Ianto pushed the swollen tip of his cock into her nether hole as Jack forced his large tip into her from the front. They both pulled out, then began a stroking rhythm just letting the tip enter then exit, in and out. Her moans were a plea but not to stop, just of yearning and amazement. The warm jelly still made her breasts feel almost swollen, or maybe it was the massaging.

Suddenly there was a rhythmic one, two three and both thrust at once, then began the dance in earnest, ramming her from both ends as hard as she could take it. She dug her fingernails into Jack's back, hanging on for dear life. This time she was the first to come, long, and so hard she completely forgot where she was. Watching and holding her, the men came in unison, causing her multiple after-orgasms just enjoying the show.

Then, as before, they collapsed, but Fern hadn't had enough. With a buildup like that, she really needed more. "Ianto – Jack? Please?"

So Ianto, ever the gentle and quiet one, lowered his face down and buried it between her legs, bringing her again and again to multiple aftershocks until at last she had had enough. Jack lay on his side and watched his lovers and their enjoyment, completely satisfied.

He was therefore the first to notice the sky was beginning to lighten. "Children, look at the stars." They were lying on their backs and at last opened their eyes to see what he had seen. Everyone jumped up in unison, beginning to gather the globes and crystals, which had dimmed, and to reluctantly put their clothes back on. Fern had brought street clothes, but as she pulled her boots on, she commented, "You know, we really missed the best part – this dress is actually just strips of cloth." The men looked to her and each other uncomprehending. "There are a lot of things you can do with a few strips of cloth…"

They were all back in the SUV after a record-breaking sprint through the lightening but still deserted castle grounds, tossed the crystals in the back, and headed back to the hub – to see what could be done with a few strips of gossamer cloth…

_**This stuff is a little hard to write, but a lot of fun and I want to continue, but I really can't if I don't get some feedback. See, I know there are hundreds of you reading this story, especially the last three chapters, and maybe it was just to see what would happen, but as the writer, I need your reviews - as they say, reviews=love. So just push the little button down there and send me some love. Otherwise I'm going to have to subject our threesome to some very boring math lessons in the next chapter, instead of strips of gossamer.**_

**_Go on! You know you want to!_**

**_P.S. The next chapter is going to be called "The Hurting" Pt I. So be nice to our Ianto, Jack and Fern, so it will be the good kind and not the bad kind! Hit the button! :D _**

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	12. The Hurting Pt I

_**This is only a temporary chapter. Review it if you must, but it really has nothing to do with the story. I just feel very alone out here – even those who were kind enough to review the earlier chapters are gone, yet from the stats I know there are many many readers – even some who looked at my profile to see, well, whatever there is to see. So here is Chapter 12, "The Hurting, Pt 1". If it gets reviews it will be re-edited significantly. If not, I've received your message and this story is complete.**_

_**After all, I did promise some hurting if I got no reviews, and I try to keep my promises…so here comes the bad kind.**_

There is something about a night of lovemaking in a castle under the stars that makes you extremely tired and leaves you quite giddy as well, even if you are in fact an immortal. Jack had finished off the champagne just before jumping into the SUV, and had great difficulty keeping the SUV in the left lane as his eyes were drooping.

"Jack, should I drive?" Ianto asked sleepily.

"No – no, I've got it," Jack began, just as a schoolbus rounded the traffic circle he was trying to negotiate, unsuccessfully. There was nothing to do but swerve erratically and he lost control of the SUV.

"HANG ON!" Jack shouted, as the heavy vehicle swung in a circle twice, tipped onto two wheels, and still had enough speed built up to land on its roof and skid into the side of a substantial apartment building on one of the corners bordering the traffic circle. The corner of the building was demolished, removing a significant part of its foundational structure, so tons of cement, glass, and all the furniture, drywall and other bits that make up peoples' homes buried the SUV in a smoking pile.

No one in the SUV was conscious enough to hear the desperate scream of sirens as emergency crews arrived. They called out hoping for signs of life, but the more they saw of the SUV's wreckage, the more they had to conclude their efforts were hopeless. They kept at it nonetheless, working long into the next night.

The rest of the Torchwood crew had no idea anything was amiss until they arrived to a dark, lifeless HUB after their day off.

"Oi, I don't like the look of this." Owen muttered, the understatement of the year.


End file.
